Manufacture of bricks or the like



1932- T. JONES ET AL MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS OR THE LIKE Filed May 21, 1930 Patented Jan. 12, 1932 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE TEOMiAS JONES AND RICHARD BARKER, OF WALIiASEY, AND DUNCAN CAMPBELL v I MURRAY, OF BIRKENHEAI), ENGLAND MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS OR THE LIKE Application filed May 21, 1930, Serial No. 454,396, and in Great Britain April 3, 1980.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of bricks and the like and more particularly to a machine or apparatus for the facing of soft clay, shale or like goods before dr ing and baking to obtain so-called rustic efl'ectsf Oneobjectof the invention is to provide a machine or apparatus for producing rustic bricks or like goods of enhanced appearance.

A further object of the invention is to increase the rate of production of such goods. The apparatus of the present invention essentially comprises means for supplying sand, powder or like comminuted material to one or more surfaces of the goods to be treated and means, such as one or more mechanically reciprocated brush or brushes, for indenting said surfacesand for pressing said comminuted material into the material of 2n the goods.

Means are provided for varying the relative disposition of the bristles or fibres of a brush and the surface being treated at each successive reciprocation of the brush in order 2."- to obtain non-regular marking of such surfaces. This variation in relative disposition is preferably obtained by angularly displacing the brush orbrushes between successive reciprocations. The sand, powder or the likemay be supplied to the surface or surfaces to be treated by means ofchutes extending from a hopper disposed above a guide-way or supporting surface for the bricks or other goods leaving a pug mill.

The bristles or fibres of the brushes or the like are adapted to enter the surface of 'the goods to a depth of, say to 4 so that the added'material such as sand, powder or m the like is pressed into the material of the goods and on burning, is fused into the same.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show one form of construction by way of example and in which Figure l is a side elevation of the whole machine and Figure 2 is a view of a detail.

Referring to Figure 1 a hopper 1 has chutes 2 extending therefrom for the supply of sand or other suitable material to bricks 3 sliding along a supporting surface 4:. The chutes 2 are provided at their outlet ends with slides or valves 5 for controlling the outflow of sand whilst a receiver 6 is provided heneath'the supporting surface 4 for reception of superfluous sand supplied from the chutes 2, the sand being returned from the receiver and adapted for vertical reciprocation to engage one of the side faces of the bricks. The reciprocation and angular displacement of the brushes is caused by a common cam shaft 12 which is driven by means of a pulley 13 I with which is incorporated a clutch cone 14 operated by a lever 15, the clutch cone 14 being normally forced into engagement with the pulley 13 by means of a spring 16.-

The horizontal brush 11 is displaced downwardly to engage the brick surface by means so of a cam 17 operating through a push rod or plunger 18, the upward return of the brush being effected by a spring 19.

Referring moreparticularly to Figure 2 a cord or wire 20, adapted for limited displacement at one end 21 under the control of a spring or cord 22 is coiled about a drum 23 angularly fixed relatively to the brush 11, its other end being periodically displaced to tighten the cord on the drum and to angularly o displace the'drum by a frictional engagement therewith. Displacement of the end of the cord 20 is effected by means of a cam 24: on the shaft 12 which causes angular displacement of a rod 26 through a plunger 25. Angular 9o displacement of the rod 26 causes lateral displacement of the end 27 of the rod to whlch the cord 20 is connected.

A. pair of side faced cams 28 on the shaft 12 are adapted to cause displacement of the loo ends 29 of bell crank levers 30 which engage through rollers 31 at their opposite end with the brushes 9 and 10. Return of the brushes after horizontal displacement towards the brick surface is caused by springs 32.

Ratchet toothed wheels 33 mounted on spindles 34 extending from the brushes are adapted for engagement by pawls 35 to cause angular displacement of the brushes 9 and 10. These pawls are mounted on one end of levers 36 which are pivoted about axes 37 and engage at their other ends with cams 38 which cause angular displacement of the levers. The pawls 35 are so directed with reference to the toothed wheels 33 that displacement of the wheels occurs on return movement of the Y 12 may be displaced by means of eccentrics and eccentric sheaves, or again the whole apparatus may be operated pneumatically or electrically for instance by means of periodically energized solenoids.

Further, the apparatus of this invention can be mounted at the exit of any ordinary pug mill and can be thrown in and out of gear as required by means of the clutch described above. Thus the apparatus will not interfere with the discharge from a pug mill of the column of clay or shale.

We declare that what we claim is 1. Apparatus for treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, brushlike means, and means for displaying. said brushlike means towards and away from said surface to indent said surface and to press said comminuted material 'into the material of the goods.

2. Apparatus for treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface .of the goods, brushlike means, means for displacing said brush-like means towards and away from said surface to indent said surface and to press said comminuted material into the material of the goods, and means for varying to relative disposition of the brushlike means and the surface of the goods in planes perpendicular to the direction of reciprocation.

3. Apparatus for treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, brushlike means for displacing said brush-like means least one surface of the goods, brushlike means for displacing said brush-like means towards and away from said surface to indent said surface and to press said comminuted material into the material of the goods, and means for intermittently rotating said brush-like means.

5. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guide-way for the support of moving goods to be treated, a hopper for comminuted material such as sand above said guide-way, at least one chute extending from said hopper towards atleast one surface of the goods and brushlike means for indenting said surface and to press said comminuted material into the material of the goods.

6. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guideway for the support of moving goods to be treated, a hopper for comminuted ma terial such as sand above said guideway,at least one chute extending from said hopper towards at least one surface of the goods, a receiver beneath said guideway for surplus comminuted material supplied from the hopper, an elevator for returning said surplus comminuted material from the receiver to the'hopper and brushlike means and means for displacing said brush-like means towards and away from said surface to indent said surface and to press said comminuted ma terial into the material of the goods.

7. A paratus for the treatment of soft brickli e goods before baking comprising a guideway for goods to be treated, means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, at least one spindle capable of reciprocation towards and away from said surface of the. goods, a brush on said spindle and adjacent said surface and an actuating shaft operatively associated with said spindle to cause reciprocation of the same.

8. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guideway for goods to be treated, means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, at least one spindle capable of reciprocation towards and away from said surface of the goods, a brush on said spindle and adjacent said surface and an actuating shaft, aside faced cam on said shaft, a pivoted lever engaging at one end With said cam and at its other end with the brush to displace the same in one direction and a spring on said shaft to displace the brush in the other direction.

9. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guideway for goods to be treated, means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, a rotatable and longitudinally displaceable spindle, a brush on said spindle and adjacent said surface, an actuating shaft, a cam on said shaft, a pivoted lever intermediate said cam and spindle adapted to cause reciprocation of the spindle, a second cam on said shaft, 8. toothed wheel on said spindle, a second ivoted lever adapted to bedisplaced by sai second cam and a pawl on said second lever engaging said toothed Wheel to cause angular displacement thereon.

10. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guideway for goods to be treated, means for supplying comminuted material to two end faces and one side face of said goods, a pair of reciprocable and angularly displaceable brushes adapted to engage said end faces, a reciprocable and angularly displaceable brush adapted to engage said side face and a common actuating shaft adapted to cause angular displacement and reciprocation of each of said brushes.

11. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guideway for goods to be treated, means for supplying comminuted material to two end faces and one side face of said goods, a pair of reciprocable and 'angularly displaceable brushes adapted to engage said end faces, a reciprocable and angularly displaceable brush adapted to engage said side face, a common actuating shaft adapted to cause angular displacement and reciprocation of eachof said brushes, driving means for said shaft and a clutch between said shaft and driving means.

12. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guideway for goods to be treated, means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, an actuating shaft, a spindle perpendicular to said actuating shaft, a brush. on said spindle, a cam on said shaft adapted to engage the end of said spindle to longitudinally displace the spindle and brush, a spring adapted to cause return of said spindle after longitudinal displacement and means opera-tively associated with said shaft and spindle to cause intermittent angu lar dis lacement thereof.

13. pparatus for'the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a guideway for goods to be treated, means for supplying-comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, an actuating shaft, a s indle perpend eular to said actuatin sha .t, a brush on said spindle, a cam on sai a drumlike member fixed on said spindle, a

coil adapted to frictionally engage said drumlike member, resilient restraining means at one end of said coil and means 0 eratively associated with the actuating sha for displacing the other end of said coil.

14. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a plurality of bristle-like elements and means for displacing said elements into eng ement with the surface of the goods and or holding said elements in positions substantially perpendicular to said surface.

15. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising a plurality of bristle-like elements and means for displacing said elements into engagement with the surface of the goods while holding said elementsin positions substantially perbricklike goods before baking comprising a plurallty of bristle-like elements and means for indenting said surfaces wholly in a direction normal thereto.

17. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike oods before baking comprising a plurality of bristle-like elements, means for displacing said elements towards and away from said surface in directions substantially normal thereto and for maintaining said elements normal to said surface throughout their engagement with the same.

18. Apparatus for the treatment of soft brick-like goods before baking comprising means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, at least one group of individual bristle-like elements and means for reciprocating said group of bristle-like elements at an angle to the surface of the goods to impress sald comminuted material firmly into the material of the goods.

19. Apparatus for the treatment of soft bricklike goods before baking comprising means for supplying comminuted material to at least one surface of the goods, at least one group of individual bristle-like elements and means for reciprocating said group of bristle-like elements in a, direction substantially normal to the surface of the goods to impress said comminuted material firmly into the material of the goods.

20. Apparatus for the treatment of soft brick-like goods before baking comprising means for supplying comminuted material and means for displacing said group of bris;

tle-like elements towards and away from the surface of the goods to cause the ends ofsuch elements to engage into the surface of the material of the goods and to impress said comminuted material firmly into the material of the goods.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names this 9th day of May, 1930.

THOS. JONES. RICHARD BARKER. DUNCAN CAMPBELL MURRAY. 

